The Island
by KelliP
Summary: It was supposed to be their anniversary. It was supposed to be a holiday with friends. It was supposed to be the time when he could finally present her with the small ring box he's kept hidden for so many months. But when their plane crashes, the group is left stranded on a deserted island. Of course, being stuck in the Caribbean with Richard Castle and his antics can't be all-bad.
1. Chapter 1

**The Island**

* * *

_It was supposed to be their anniversary. It was supposed to be a holiday with friends. It was supposed to be the time when he could finally present her with the small ring box he's kept hidden for so many months. But when their plane crashes, it leaves the group stranded on a deserted island. Of course, being stuck in the Caribbean with Richard Castle and his antics can't be all-bad._

* * *

**One**

* * *

"Castle, I can't _believe _you did this."

"Kate, would you just shut up and enjoy this?" her best friend said beside her, giving Kate a good-natured shove. "Let your man spoil us! And you can _not _tell me you're actually enjoying this weather."

Lanie had a point. New York had been subject to violent storms for a week now, and it showed no signs of stopping. Although, Kate had to admit the weather did have it perks; at least it had provided her with an excuse to stay holed up in bed all day with Castle.

But when her boyfriend had suggested a beach getaway with their friends, her mind had immediately drifted to the Hamptons and his beachfront home. What she had _not_ pictured, however, was the sight currently in front of her: a private jet, waiting to whisk them away to the Caribbean.

"Kate, this is exactly why I didn't tell you," Castle calls out as he walks over to her, his hand encircling her wrist gently, tugging her towards him. "I knew you'd object."

"Of _course_ I'd object, Castle. This is ridiculous!" Kate cried out. "At least if you had told me earlier, I would have had some time to adjust, instead of springing it on me when we suddenly arrived at the airport."

"In my defence, I thought you would figure it out. I mean, _really_- why would I suggest a beach holiday to the Hamptons in _this_ weather?"

Kate pressed her lips together, and averted her eyes. She had to face it; she had been outsmarted.

Damn.

"You know, I could leave right now and head back home," she threatened, but it's hollow. And he knew it.

"Please- like you want to spend the week without me," Castle called her bluff.

She had to repress the urge to roll her eyes, because this man could be really infuriating at times. "Fine, Castle," she conceded before narrowing her eyes at him in a warning. "But this holiday had better be _really_ good."

* * *

She wasn't sure exactly what she had been expecting when she stormed onto the plane, but it sure as hell wasn't this.

Three sets of two seats line either side of the plane, a wide aisle between them. In front of each pair, she spots tables that fold out from the wall, as well as individual television screens that extend out from the front of the armrests. And as if that wasn't enough, a stewardess stands by the entrance, her smile wide as she extends an arm out towards her, a glass full of champagne in her hand.

Kate clenched her jaw and stood still, unsure whether she should just get back off this plane now, not exactly wanting to encourage this kind of outrageous behaviour from Castle.

"Is there a problem, Detective?" Castle's voice asked quietly in her ear. His breath was hot on her neck, and she had to remind herself that she's frustrated with him.

"Castle, we're not flying half way around the world. Why on _earth_ would you think we'd need all this?"

He moved around her so he's looking at directly at her face and shrugged. "I wanted to do something nice. Besides, how often is it that _all_ of us have leave at the same time? Well, all of _you_ have leave," he corrected upon seeing the pointed look on her face, reminding him that he technically didn't work at the precinct.

"Castle…"

"It's not like there's a swimming pool on board, Kate." She raised her eyebrows (because, do people _really_ have _swimming pools_ on private jets?) but he ignored her expression and continued. "Just relax," he whispered, pressing a kiss to her cheek.

She sighed, and melted into his embrace, feeling guilty. It wasn't that she's opposed to him spending his money, exactly. It's more the _surprise_ of it all.

Wait. Surprise.

She pulled away from him slowly, her eyes narrowing as she scrutinised him. "Exactly how long have you been planning this, Castle?"

His eyes widened for just a second, fear flashing across his face, before he schooled his features. "Uh," he started, his voice cracking. He cleared his throat, obviously giving himself an extra second to think. "A week ago," he said all-too-calmly.

"Really? A week?" she questioned, raising an eyebrow and moving into his personal space as if she were interrogating a suspect. "You just happened to organise a trip to the Caribbean- private jet and everything- in under a week?"

He shrugged. "Got lucky. It's not like it's peak travel season."

"Yeah. Pretty lucky." She pressed her lips together as she tilted her head, as if considering. "You know, Lanie has never been out of the country before."

He gulped. "Uh- you don't say?"

Beckett shrugged casually as she nodded slowly. "Yeah. She comes from a large family- five siblings- so they never had enough money growing up. And then _med school_ happened, and between the stack of loans and the lack of time, she never had the chance."

"Well, this should be exciting for her," Castle forced out, his voice strained, before pointing to the nearest pair of chairs. "You know, we should sit- ow!"

She pinched his arm hard, glaring at him. "Lanie would have had to have known about this trip _months_ ago, Castle. She would have had to apply for a passport."

He cringed for a moment before surrendering. "Alright, fine. Yes. I planned this a couple of months ago."

"And you didn't tell _me_?"

He paused, eyeing her curiously. "Wait- are you mad because I didn't _tell_ you or because I didn't tell _you_."

She clenched her jaw, her eyes darting away as she crossed her arms. "Both."

"Kate, I'm sorry," he sighed. "I wanted this to be a surprise."

"Don't you know by now not to surprise me?" she raised an eyebrow, half-amused. "Don't you remember the moving fiasco?"

Ah, the moving fiasco of November 2012. After spending the weekend away with her father for his birthday, Beckett had arrived at Castle's apartment for dinner only to find her every possession in his home. Castle had, apparently, taken it upon himself to decide that it was time she moved in with him, and so whilst she was away, he had everything moved for her, to 'save her the trouble of packing and unpacking'.

Needless to say, she had not been happy.

"Uh, yes. But you love it now, don't you?" He crossed his fingers as he pouted his lips, looking at her with puppy-dog eyes.

"I've… grown used to it."

He scoffed. "Please, you love it. Don't even bother denying it."

"Fine," she huffed, rolling her eyes to try and throw him off, regain the advantage. "So, tell me- why this surprise?"

"Because it's our anniversary."

Her brow furrowed, confused. "Castle, it's not our anniversary. That's in May."

"Different anniversary."

"Also in May," she noted. He smirks.

"Ah, no. Not _that_ anniversary either," he smirked, waggling his eyebrows at her. "In five days time, it will be the anniversary of our first case, commemorating five years of partnership."

She didn't even have a chance of fighting the sweet smile that spread across her lips, lighting up her entire face. "I didn't realise you remembered. This… this is really sweet."

"Look at you, acting like a real girl," Castle commented, playfully nudging her shoulder.

"A girl that can still kick your ass."

"Duly noted," he nods, his expression serious. "So, I did good?"

She chuckled, lifting up slightly on her tiptoes to press a light kiss his cheek. "Yeah. You did good."

Glancing around, she notes Ryan and Jenny have already claimed the two back left seats, and Esposito's bag was dumped on the chair in front. Lanie had already polished off her glass of champagne front right, assumedly because of the presence of her ex-boyfriend. Kate grimaces; it's going to be a long week if all she's going to hear about was 'Esposito said this' and 'can you _believe_ Esposito did _that_'.

Kate let out a long breath; this was really happening. Her boyfriend had really organised a private plane to fly them to the _Caribbean_.

Before she could change her mind again, she's pushed her bag underneath a chair and fastened her seatbelt. She could feel Castle's eyes on her, and she knows he'll a victorious grin on his face, but she doesn't want to give him the satisfaction by acknowledging him.

* * *

Castle grinned as he watched Kate take her seat before swiftly grabbing two glasses of champagne and dropping into the seat beside her.

"We're not the only one's flying, if that helps at all," he commented as he settles, pushing her flute across the table. "This plane belongs to the company that Black Pawn uses. As it turned out, another author- Charlotte King, I think- was also enquiring about flying to the Caribbean. So, in order to obtain the plane, we had to compromise to fly together."

"You've already sold this trip, Castle. You don't need to keep making excuses," she smirked at him, taking a sip of her champagne before relaxing back into the cushioned seat, closing her eyes. "A week away from the city, spent under the sun, will be nice. I'm sure we'll have a great time."

He smiled to himself as he discretely patted the small box in his jacket pocket.

Oh, yes. This will be a great holiday.

* * *

Only a few minutes pass before the other group arrived, and thankfully they wasted no time boarding the plane. Castle smiled politely as the other five people gather, moving around as they try and allocate seating.

"Hi. Richard Castle, right?" a woman smiled at him as she passed her handbag off to one of the men. "I'm Charlotte."

He stretched out his hand politely, shaking hers. "Oh, yeah. Nice to meet you. Paula said you're the new novelist they signed last year?"

"That's me," Charlotte grinned. "Don't worry- I'm no competition. I'm all about the contemporary fiction. This trip is _technically_ research for me- I have a contact that I'm meeting with- but don't tell Black Pawn that I'm planning on spending a lot of time laying by the beach."

Castle laughed. "I don't think they're all that interested in our "research" methods. I've spent almost every day for the past five years working with the NYPD, but as long as I have something to publish, they don't cause a fuss." Beside him, Kate scoffed. "Er- too much fuss," he revised.

"Castle, when Paula shows up at our apartment at seven in the morning on a _Saturday_, it's _definitely_ too much fuss," Kate noted bluntly, shoving him gently in the shoulder. He cringed.

"Uh, yeah. Don't get on her bad side," he warned Charlotte.

"Good advice. I think my husband would kill me," Charlotte laughed. "Anyway, it was nice to meet you. We might run into you sometime during the week." They smile and nod politely as Charlotte moved away, following her husband toward the vacant seats at the rear of the plane, before Castle glanced around at the other passengers, trying to figure out their stories.

To his front right sat another woman and man- twins, perhaps, as their features resembled each other's strikingly. As he watched them already bickering over something trivial, and he had to admit- there's definitely one benefit to being an only child.

Behind them, Esposito was sitting alone, a scowl on his face as he turned to focus his gaze out the window. Castle frowned, confused, when he felt Kate nudge him gently with her elbow.

"Are you listening to this?" she whispered in his ear.

"Listening to what?"

She pointed to the set of seats in front of her. "Lanie, and the man sitting next to her. She's not exactly being subtle with her flirting."

Castle listened for a few moments before nodding in agreement. "She's only laying it on so thick 'cause Esposito's here."

"You don't think they'll fight too much, do you?" He grimaced at the thought.

When he originally planned this trip, Esposito and Lanie were together once again after deciding to give their relationship another shot. Of course, they just _had_ to end it only a week ago, and- both being to stubborn to back out and lose face- were now both about to fly down to the Caribbean to spend a week away with each other.

_Very_ awkward. And annoying for the rest of the group, who have to put up with their bickering.

"Who knows," Castle replied quietly with a shrug of his shoulders, "Maybe this trip will be the push they need to rekindle their relationship. Uh, again. Again."

Kate chuckled. "Let's hope so."

The click of the P.A. system sounded quietly through the speakers before a warm voice addressed them, informing them it was time to take off. Castle grinned widely like a child, the corners of his eyes crinkling as he barely contained the excitement. "Here we go!"

* * *

Unfortunately, it turned out the benefits of flying in a private jet were almost completely limited when there's a storm raging outside the plane. Kate wasn't complaining, though, because when you're relaxing in the luxurious armchairs of a private jet, being stuck in your seat wasn't too bad at all.

But beside her, Castle was squirming, completely restless from being restrained by the seatbelt. He kept fidgeting- running his hand through his hair, tapping his knee, cracking his knuckles, reaching for her hand, before starting all over again- and it was starting to drive her insane.

"Castle, sit _still_," she urged him, pressing his hands down onto his thigh underneath hers. "Watch a movie if you're bored." She pointed to the hidden screen in the armrest, but he shook his head at her suggestion.

"I'm not bored. Just restless." She rolled her eyes unsympathetically.

"It's only a four hour fight, half of which is already over. You'll survive," she muttered. "Besides, it was your idea to fly in this weather."

He sighed, and sunk back into the chair, letting his arms fall uselessly beside his legs. "Yeah, alright."

Suddenly, the plane dropped. She knew it was only a second, but the dropping of her stomach slowed time, stretching it on as they continued to dip. Castle's hand was suddenly clutching hers, squeezing it so tightly it turns white as he cut off the circulation.

"Castle, it's just turbulence," she said softly, restraining an eye roll and instead accompanying it with her thumb tracing soothing circles on the back of his hand. She almost thought it worked when the plane shuddered and dropped again, and he squeezed her hand once more, his entire body tense. "It's just the weather."

"I don't think the plane is supposed to just _drop_ like that." His voice is strained and his eyes were wide as he looked at her for reassurance.

"I'm sure the pilot has been through worse."

"Yes, but what if-"

"Castle, the plane is designed to withstand this type of weather. We're still flying, aren't we?"

Suddenly, lightening struck them, the sound louder than the crack of a gunshot as it rattles the plane. The lights flickered, and the plane dropped again, her stomach lurching at the motion. The thunder rumbled low outside, booming and ominous, sending vibrations through the plane.

"Kate-"

Nothing else made it passed his lips. Without any warning, the nose of the plane tilted forward and they begun spiralling down. Kate grabbed onto Castle's hands tightly, searching for his eyes in the sudden darkness and screaming that surround them, but they're squeezed shut, the terror all over his face.

"Castle," she whispered, reaching one of their joined hands to touch his face. "Castle, it's okay," she promised. "It's okay. It's okay."

It wasn't. The plane didn't right itself, instead leaving them to plummet the 35,000 feet toward the earth. Suddenly, the storm threw them forward, and the world slowed down around her as she's thrown at the motion, the seatbelt digging harshly into her hips as it restrained her for just a moment before it snapped, and she's flung from her seat. She gripped onto Castle's hands, but the momentum was too great. She flew forward, her body twisting, crashing.

Everything went black.

* * *

_Initial thoughts? Any questions? Let me know =) Just remember to keep an open mind. At the moment, I do have a pretty good idea of where I want to take this, but once I get further into it… well, who knows. Things never seem to turn out as planned._

_Anyone on tumblr? – kellisworld dot tumblr dot com_

_And I've just started using my twitter - kellis_world_


	2. Chapter 2

**Two**

* * *

"Kate? Kate? _Please_, Kate."

She could hear a faint voice calling her name as she swum back into consciousness. She just wanted to sleep, but the voice was persistent and… worried? Fighting the oh-so-appealing blackness, she struggled to open her eyes, letting them flutter as she woke. Slowly, her vision focused, and she's greeted with the sight of Castle hanging close over her, an expression of fear all over his face as he holds her in his arms.

"Oh, Kate! Thank _god_," he exclaimed as she blinked up at him. "You're awake. Oh- you're _awake_."

Suddenly realising she's lying on the ground, Kate moved to sit up, confused by his strange behaviour, but he shook his head and pinned her to the ground, his large hands grasping her shoulders. "Don't move, Kate. Lanie has to check you first."

She frowned as he called urgently for Lanie, and ignoring the sounds of someone bustling beside her. "Castle, what's going on?"

Concern flashed through his eyes, his face scrunching as he studied her carefully. "You… don't remember?" She shook her head in response, but immediately regretted the action, a pounding headache making itself painfully noticeable. Squeezing her eyes shut, Kate ground her teeth against the pain, her hand clutching her head.

"Don't move just yet, Kate," Lanie's voice sounded. She managed to force one eye open and saw her friend kneeling beside her, a torch in her hands. "Can you open your eyes? I need to check you for concussion."

"What happened?" Beckett repeated, but Lanie pressed her lips together, avoiding the question as she shone the bright light into one eye after the other.

"Can you tell me the date?" Lanie asked professionally as she continued her examination.

Restraining an eye roll, Beckett responded, amusing her friend. "Fourth of March."

"And your address?"

"425 Broome Street."

Lanie blew out a breath of relief as she leant back away from Kate to face Castle. "I think she's fine. We'll keep watching her over the next couple of hours, but there shouldn't be any problems."

"So, can I get up now?" Kate asked, her eyes darting between Castle's and Lanie's. At Lanie's nod, Castle leant down, snaking his arms around her back to help her sit up, leaning her against something soft and cushiony. She frowned as she glanced down at her arms, which were decorated with purple bruises and small cuts. At least someone had already tended to them. "So, is anyone going to tell me what happened now?"

Eyeing her partner, she watched as Castle's face dropped, and he gripped her hand a little tighter. "Kate… our plane went down," he explained soberly, his face grave. "Our pilot lost control of the plane in the storm- I think we were struck by lightening. Somehow, he managed to land us on an island somewhere without too much damage, but he, uh- he didn't make it."

The moments before the blackness flashed back to her. The thunder, the wind, and then… nothing, as the plane plummeted towards the earth.

"Is everyone else alright?" she asked, her voice panicked as she glanced around.

"Everyone else if fine. Shaken up, but all right. Your seatbelt snapped as we were dropping, and you… you flew into the window. Your head- the blood" his voice cracked. "I thought… I thought…"

Oh, god. He thought she was dead, didn't he?

Beckett reached for him, wrapping her arms around Castle's body and pulling him toward her to comfort him. "I'm fine, Castle. I'm fine. We're fine," she murmured into his ear comfortingly.

It wasn't until they broke away a few moments later that she noticed her surroundings. "Are we still on the plane?" Kate questioned, her eyebrows shooting up as she glanced at Castle. "Is this safe?"

"Aside from the damage to the right wing and the nose of the plane, the main shell seems to be intact. Tom- uh, Charlotte's husband- used to be a pilot. He checked for a fuel leak, but there isn't one. And the power's cut, so we should be fine. Besides- it's still raining outside, so we don't really have anywhere else to go."

Wait- nowhere to go? "Where did we land?"

Castle sucked in a breath, a bleak expression spreading across his face. "Ah, the pilot managed to land us on an island somewhere, but from what we can tell, it doesn't look inhabited."

Kate stared her eyebrows in disbelief. "You're trying telling me we're stuck on a deserted island? Castle, this isn't an episode of Lost," she scolded.

"He's right, Beckett," Ryan interjected, his voice sombre. "We've been here for a couple of hours now, and no one's come to check out the plane."

"We also had a quick look around before when the storm eased up for a bit, but there didn't seem to be much around. Everything looks untouched," Lanie added. "We should be able to tell when night falls, though. See if we can spot any lights."

"You think we're still going to be here come nightfall?"

The expressions on her friends' faces said it all.

* * *

For hours, everyone sat in silence as they listened to the rain pelt down on the metal shell of the small plane. There was nothing that could be said to lighten the situation, and nobody tried. Not even Castle- who was known for his ability to shine light on a bleak situation- had anything to say. Instead, Kate curled up in his arms as they sat awkwardly together in a seat by the window, watching the droplets of water slip down the glass.

The sun was just setting over the horizon when the rain finally let up, allowing the passengers to exit the confines of the plane. The flight attendant- Rochelle- wasted no time opening the doors, and due to the tilt of the plane as it rested on the remaining left wing, there was barely a jump down onto the still damp sand.

Kate took off along the beach instantly, jogging along the sand as her eyes searched for any sight of civilisation, but the others were right- there was nothing. Not wanting to stray too far this close to nightfall, she sighed before dwindling back towards the group, who were already discussing survival plans.

"Guys, relax. Someone will find us," Lanie stressed.

"And what are we supposed to do until then?" Esposito asked. "We have no shelter, and no food."

"We can just sleep on the plane."

Esposito raised an eyebrow at his ex. "You really want to sleep sitting upright all night?"

"What, and lying on the damp sand is supposed to be better?"

"Don't snap at me!"

"I didn't snap!"

"_Guys_," Ryan interrupted, outstretching his hands between the couple. Beckett cringed as she watched the exchange. Everyone knew how dangerous it was to get in the middle of a fight between Esposito and Lanie. But by some miracle, they silenced at Ryan's words. "Don't start arguing. We have no idea how long we're going to be stuck here, and it's not going to help to have everyone fighting all the time."

"Fine."

"Fine."

"Great," Ryan finished. "Now we've got shelter covered, what are we going to do for food?"

"You know, most planes like this have some food down in the cargo hold," Tom joined the conversation, hesitantly stepping towards the group as if he didn't want to get caught up in the arguments. "The companies do it as a way of picking up some money to help pay for the flight."

"Even so, how are we supposed to get down there without any tools or power?" Esposito questioned.

"There should be a hatch in the back somewhere that we can use to access the hold," Tom explained. "Whenever the plane is being worked on, it usually won't have power as a safety precaution, so they install these hatches so the workers can still gain access."

"Now that you mention it, I think I did see something in the back," Rochelle piped up. "I'll go grab the keys- see what we can find."

As the boys followed Rochelle back towards the plane, Kate looked around, her eyes searching for Castle, but he was nowhere to be found. She frowned as she broke away from what remained of the group, heading for the other side of the plane. Night was falling fast, and she didn't like the idea of him wandering off on his own.

But Kate spotted him as soon as she rounded to the other side, sitting far off by himself near the corner of the island, his head bowed low. Her heart dropped in her chest at the sight of him as she quickly covered the distance between them, thoughts about shelter and food and finding help forgotten instantly.

"Hey," she spoke quietly as she sat down close beside him, the sand damp beneath her. When he didn't acknowledge her, she curled her fingers around his bicep, giving his arm a gentle squeeze of reassurance and encouragement. "Talk to me, Castle."

He let out a long, defeated breath, his eyes remaining closed. "I'm so sorry, Kate." His voice was barely a whisper, but it cracked with the burden he was feeling. "I'm so sorry. This is all my fault."

Oh.

"Castle…" she started, but was quickly interrupted.

"I just wanted to do something nice for everyone. I know it was _our_ anniversary, but they've welcomed me just as much over the past five years, and I wanted to thank them. And if it wasn't for me, this would never have happened."

"Castle, this is _not_ your fault, you understand?" she stressed, her fingers digging into his arm in an effort to get him to look at her, but he refused to meet her gaze.

"But Kate-"

"No, Castle. You don't control the weather, all right?"

"What if no one finds us?" he asked, his voice panicked, his eyes finally lifting, seeking out hers. Her stomach dropped low, sick, at what she saw- his usually bright blue eyes, always filled with a twinkle of laughter and happiness, were a dark shade of grey, absolute dread swimming in them. "What are we supposed to do then?"

"Castle, when out plane doesn't show, they're going to send someone looking for us. I promise you- someone will find us."

"But what if-"

"No more 'what if's', Castle," she half-begged. "Please, stop worrying. Everything will be fine. It'll be fine."

"I'm so sorry, Kate," he whispered, his voice choking in his throat as he reaches out, pulling her against his chest for comfort. "I'm so sorry."


	3. Chapter 3

**Three**

* * *

Alexis grumbled as she shifted the pile of books to one arm, digging her free hand through her bag in search of her keys. When she finally managed to unlock the door to her dorm, she sunk down onto her bed, dropping the books down onto the sheets beside her.

Pulling out her phone yet again, she saw her father was still yet to call. Frowning, she quickly shoots him another text, hoping to hear from him soon. She doesn't need regular updates about his vacation, but a courtesy call to reassure her they all arrived safely would have been nice. Because, really- is a two word text message too much to ask for?

Letting out a long sigh, Alexis began sorting through her textbooks, marking the pages she should finish reading by the morning. But after just a few minutes, she's bored and antsy. Everyone else was out at a party right now, but she'd decided to stay behind and get ahead. And she doesn't want to make the mistake of falling behind, but sitting here alone in her dorm room is making her regret her decision.

Leaning back against the wall, Alexis reached out for the remote and flicked on the TV for some background noise, just about to return to her books when the flashing headlines of the news caught her eye.

"Authorities say the search for missing flight 828 will recommence in the early hours of the morning, as rescuers say they are unable to keep searching throughout the night. If you've just tuned in, an emergency alert was put out this afternoon when the flight that was supposed to arrive midday in the Caribbean never showed. A passenger transcript informs us that the plane was carrying well-known mystery author, Richard Castle, who-"

Oh, god.

The rest of the broadcast was lost to Alexis as she curled around herself, crumbling and sobbing for her father.

* * *

Darkness has fallen by the time Castle has finally calmed down enough to return to the group. Standing up onto unsteady feet, he grabbed Kate's hands and helped her up before brushing the damp sand off his pants, more to postpone facing everyone than anything else.

Kate seemed to understand his hesitance, though. Her hands slid around his waist, re-joining and resting at his lower back. Her body moulded to his as she drew herself closer to him, leaning up to press a kiss to his jaw. Castle let his head bury into her hair, breathing her in, letting her comfort him.

Eventually, he pulled away. The concern in Kate's eyes was evident, but he shook it off with a small smile. She must have been satisfied he wasn't forcing the smile because she let her hands run up his back, only to drop back down along his arms, her fingers catching his hands. She gave them a gentle squeeze before tugging them back passed the plane until they reach the group.

Castle frowned for a moment, confused by the large metal container everyone is standing around, until Kate murmured in his ear that the boys went looking for food on the plane. Instantly, his stomach rumbled, reminding him he hadn't eaten since breakfast this morning. At the very least, his appetite returning must be a good sign that all isn't too bad.

Moving to become part of the circle, Castle glanced into the container, which was filled with an assortment of fruits. "This is just some of the perishable stuff," Esposito explained to Kate and himself. "We figured we'd start on this, just-"

Just in case they aren't found.

Castle gripped Kate's hand, the ball of dread and guilt low in his stomach suddenly returning.

Great.

* * *

After filling themselves with fruit, a silence fell upon the group. It was the same solemn silence that had filled the plane today, when they all huddled inside as they waited out the rain. Castle must have opened his mouth a dozen times to say something- break the tension, apologise for everything- but he couldn't get the words right in his head. And if the situation were any other, he would have laughed at that. A writer who's not able find the right words. How useless.

As they sat watching the moonlight shimmer over the dark ocean, Kate shivered beside him, her hands rubbing up and down her arms in an effort to create heat through friction. "You cold?" Castle asked quietly.

She shrugged. "Just a little cool. S'not too bad." Despite her protest, Castle wasted no time chivalrously wrapping an arm around her, pulling her to lay against his side, letting his body heat warm her.

"We could light a fire?" Though his suggestion was meant for warmth and comfort, Kate suddenly shot up, her eyes wide with realisation as she broke out of his grasp.

"We _should_ light a fire!" she exclaimed. "I know it's doubtful they'd still be searching for us in the dark, but what if they _are_? Or what if a boat passes by? They might see the light, and-"

"Come find us," he finished, catching on.

Without another word, everyone jumped to their feet, running back from the ocean toward the jungle that appeared to spread through the centre of the island. Snapping branches off nearby trees, it was quickly organised to throw them into small piles that spread out along the beach. They didn't want to set the entire island on fire, after all; just create enough light so someone passing by might spot them.

Suddenly, Lanie paused, and when she called out, everyone followed suit and stopped their frantic movement. "Wait- how are we even supposed to these on fire?"

Castle piped up immediately. "Well, in my fifth novel-"

"Castle-" Esposito suddenly interrupted, a hand raised to stop Castle while he was ahead. "Not that I don't appreciate whatever it was you were going to say, but I have a lighter in my bag we can use."

Lanie frowned, turning on her ex. "You aren't supposed to bring a lighter onto a plane."

"Well, you never know when you might need one. Example A," Esposito raised an eyebrow as he pointed around at the island.

"So, what? You're trying to tell me you brought a lighter with you just in case our plane crashed and we were marooned on an island? Puh-_lease_." Lanie scoffed, accompanying it with an eye roll for dramatic effect, which only seemed to irritate Esposito further.

"Why do you have to make such a big deal out of every little thing?"

"I am _not_ making a big deal out of this."

"Yeah, you are. Just like you always do."

"Since when have I _ever_ made a big deal about _anything_?"

Castle sighed, knowing just how long they were going to fight for, when out of nowhere, Kate was at his side, stretching up on her toes so her lips brushed against his ear as she whispered to him. "Wanna go for a walk? Get away from this?"

Castle chuckled, throwing down the branches in his hands. "Yeah. Let's go."

* * *

Somehow, the couple managed to sneak away without raising any eyebrows, quietly slinking across the sand and around to the privacy of the other side of the plane. They didn't stop there, though. Esposito and Lanie's voices carried easily through the air on the quiet night, and they couple had to walk a good ten minutes along the beach before they were finally engulfed with silence.

Kate dropped down onto the sand right away, letting herself fall onto her back, smiling up at him as she patted the spot beside her. Castle wasted no time following her lead, lying back on the cool sand, looking up above them at the stars shimmering in the sky.

"As much as I love the city- the bustle of people, the light, the noise- I miss not being able to see the night sky," she spoke quietly.

"We should head out to the Hamptons more. Lay on the deck chairs, drink margaritas, look up at the sky. Just get away every now and then," he suggested. "It would be nice." Kate let out a breath of laughter, reaching out for his hand, entwining their fingers as they rested on the sand between their bodies.

"Yeah, it would be."

Silence stretched between them, his mind blissfully blank for a long time, until finally thoughts of what they should have been doing right now filtered into his mind.

"We had reservations at the restaurant on the end of the pier," he whispered. Kate tilted her head, her eyes studying him carefully, but his gaze remained fixed on the sky above them, unable to face her just yet as he was filled with the horrible realisation that he had let her down. "A table out on the balcony, hanging over the ocean. I had plans to wine and dine you."

"It would have been nice," she commented quietly. "But this is nice too, Castle. Laying on the beach with you, looking up at the stars."

"We could have done that there, too," he sighed, finally looking at her. "We could have done anything you wanted. We could have gone dancing, or for a boat ride. Maybe a stroll on the beach, followed by skinny dipping under the stars, of course."

Kate raised an eyebrow suggestively. "Who says we still can't do that?"

"I- what?"

She grinned at him as she pushed herself off the sand, sitting up to peel her top off her body.

"Kate?" he squeaked, raising himself onto his elbows to watch her stand and shimmy out of her pants. She stretched out a hand towards him, helping pull him to his feet, before discarding her remaining underwear, throwing it onto the pile of her clothes. Sending him another seductive look, Kate turned away from him, taking a couple of steps towards the ocean.

"You coming, Castle?" she called over her shoulder, a look of expectation on her face.

He didn't need to be told twice. In a flash, his clothes joined Kate's in a rumpled pile, long forgotten as he ran after her. Swiftly, he lifted her up, ignoring her protests and un-Beckett-like squeals as he carried her the remaining distance to the water. Castle walked them in slowly, the surprisingly warm water rising up around them as he continued to wade in.

When they were finally below the waterline, Castle gave up his grip on Kate, ready to help her find her footing. But instead of slipping away from him, she kept her arms encircled around his neck as she pressed her body against his, her legs wrapping themselves around his waist.

Digging his fingers into her waist, he crashed his lips down to meet hers, moving them against hers frantically. Taking full advantage of the buoyancy of the water, Castle lifted one hand to tangle in Kate's hair at the base of her neck, tilting her head back so he could slip his tongue passed his lips. Kate moaned into his mouth, rolling her body against his, spurring him along.

_Oh, yeah_, he thought. '_Thank god we survived sex_' was definitely going to make their top ten.

* * *

_Originally, this chapter was completely different, but it skipped ahead a little too much so I ended up changing the entire thing. Hope you enjoyed it, though. Let me know your thoughts =)_

_Also, I think for the sake of trying to get updates out regularly, some updates might be a little shorter than I would usually like. Hope everyone is cool with this. _

_Kelli_


	4. Chapter 4

**Four**

* * *

After a couple of hours of wrapping themselves up in their own little world, Kate and Castle strolled at a leisurely pace back towards the group, fingers loosely hanging onto one another. Rounding a corner, the outline of the plane came into view, the enormity of the day suddenly washing over her as a yawn escaped her lips.

"You should get Lanie to re-check you," Castle commented quietly, worry once again filling his voice. "Just to make sure." Kate pressed her lips together, not bothering to argue that even if therewere something wrong, there's next to nothing anyone could do. Instead, she nodded absently, amusing him because she knew he needed the reassurance.

Out of nowhere, Lanie's over-the-top giggling sounded loudly through the quiet night, closely followed by the laughter of an unrecognised male. Kate turned her head toward Castle, who had his eyebrows raised curiously. "That can't be good," she muttered, quickly tugging him along by his hand around to the other side of the plane.

The problem was immediately clear. Though most of the group were sitting around one of the bonfires they lit, Lanie was sitting a little further down the beach, joined by none other than the man she had been sitting next to (and flirting with quite obviously) on the plane.

"Man, just go and talk to her," Ryan insisted, giving Esposito's shoulder a nudge, but Esposito remained hunched over, a petulant expression on his face.

"Bro, for the last time, I don't care what she's doing," Esposito growled, taking a swig of a bottle of beer.

Kate raised an eyebrow at Esposito. "You know, Espo- that would be a lot more convincing if you weren't currently sulking like a child." Esposito's scowl worsened, but he said nothing, feigning ignorance.

Suddenly, Lanie's laughter cut through the night again, giggling over-dramatically at something said. Kate rolled her eyes as she let out a long groan, dropping Castle's hand and storming over to where Lanie was sitting. As she approached, Kate kicked away the empty beer bottles surrounding them, lying haphazardly across the beach.

"Lanie? Can I talk to you for a moment?"

Lanie blinked up at Kate, a warning look to leave her alone on her face. "Right now, sweetie? I'm kind of in the middle of a conversation with Marco here."

Hm. Marco. So, he had a name. "Yeah. It's urgent."

Lanie frowned, mumbling an _excuse me_ to Marco before grabbing her current bottle of beer and stumbling to her feet, her eyes narrowed threateningly as she followed Kate. "What?" Lanie snapped, Kate raised an eyebrow at her friend's attitude.

"You _know_ 'what'." Lanie rolled her eyes, scoffing and taking a step away as if to leave, but Kate wasn't having any of it. She grabbed Lanie's arm, her grip tight as she forced her friend to stop. "Could you at least pretend like your ex-boyfriend isn't sitting 50 yards away? I mean, _seriously_, Lanie- this isn't fair on Espo."

Lanie snapped her head around to glare at Beckett, her eyes murderous, her voice low with menace. "Do _not_ talk to me about him."

Kate recoiled, taking a step back away from her friend; she had _never_ heard her friend that livid before.

With a concerned frown on her face, Kate's voice was quiet when she spoke up after a few beats of silence. "Lanie, what happened? I thought everything was going great between you guys."

"I mean it, Kate. I don't want to talk about it." Lanie crossed her arms, staring Kate down, until she finally nodded, blowing out a sad sigh as she turned to leave.

"Just… think about what you could be ruining, okay?"

"Please- like you're one to talk."

That stopped her. "Excuse me?" Kate raised an eyebrow. "What's _that_ supposed to mean?"

"You led writer-boy on for _four years_, Kate. Pretended like you didn't care about him, pushed him away every chance you got. So don't act all high and righteous."

Kate pressed her lips together, considering her options, before she finally spoke carefully. "I'm going to forgive you for that because not only are you obviously _very_ drunk, but you're also hurting. And you're right- what I did to Castle was horrible, but I did it because I love him- just like you love Esposito."

A tear dropped from Lanie's eye, rolling down her cheek for only a second before it was furiously swatted away. Kate sighed, reaching her hand to rest gently on her friend's shoulder. "Lanie, out of the two of us, you've always been the one to talk about things and get them off your chest. Are you _sure_ you don't want to talk about it?"

Lanie nodded, responding quietly. "Yeah. I'm sure."

"All right. But, are you ready to completely ruin things with Esposito? Because, I can guarantee that if you keep this up, that's exactly what will happen. He won't take you back a third time."

When Lanie let out a sigh, defeated, Kate wasted no time pulling her friend back away from Marco without another word. "Come on- let's sober you up, because Castle _does_ want you to double check I'm not concussed."

* * *

When Castle woke early the following morning, his entire body was stiff from the terrible night's sleep. Despite the soft cushioning of the seats on the plane, trying to get a solid ten hours was almost impossible when you had to sit upright. Letting out a quiet groan, he abandoned any hope of getting back to sleep, the morning sunlight already well and truly streaming in through the cracks in the windows. Reaching his hands high above his head and twisting his back in a stretch, Castle tried to work out the tightness of his muscles, when Kate let out a small puff of air beside him, shifting in her seat, pulling the blanket up tighter underneath her chin.

Stroking a hand through her hair for a moment, he was overcome, once again, with the guilt that it was his fault that brought them here. His fault they were stranded on an island god-only-knows-where, with nothing but the shell of what remained of the plane.

Kate twitched again, and he removed his hand, not wanting to wake her just yet. Instead, he quietly let his own blanket drop messily to the floor in a heap and grabbed his jacket as he jumped down from the plane. Squinting as the sun bounced of the water, Castle's eyes scanned the vast expanse of the beach in front of him. He _really_ wanted to go for a long walk around the island- work out the knots in his back, explore a little, try and find a way off this damned island- but he knew that, after yesterday, if Kate woke and he wasn't close, she would panic.

Slowly, Castle headed for the edge of the water, dropping down onto the cool sand and stretching out so the warm water barely skimmed over his toes. Digging through his jacket, he reached into the hidden pocket he had sewn in, and pulled out the small, white jewellery box.

He didn't even have a chance to open it when there's a loud squeal behind him.

Spinning around, he's met with the sight of Lanie, pressing a hand to her mouth to try and muffle the consecutive squeals still escaping her throat. "Richard Castle- is this what I think it is?"

He freezes like a deer caught in headlights, stumbling over his words. "Uh- um, I- uh."

Lanie squeezes her eyes shut and crosses her fingers in anticipation. "Oh- please, please, _please_ tell me that's exactly what I think it is!"

"I… uh- yeah," he finally admits.

"Oh… oh my god," Lanie breathes, her feet squelching on the sand as she hurriedly covers the remaining distance between herself and the ring box in his hand. "Why didn't you tell us you were going to propose?"

Castle shrugged sheepishly, bowing his head. "I wasn't a hundred percent Kate would say yes," he responded quietly.

"You can be a real idiot sometimes, you know that?" Lifting his head, Castle saw Lanie roll her eyes. "In all the years I've known Kate, I've never seen her even half as happy as she is now, and that's all because of _you_."

"Yeah, but-"

"No but's, Castle."

"Yes, but-"

"Castle, _no_ but's."

"But Lanie-"

"_Castle_. Honestly. There no way Kate wouldn't say yes."

"Say yes to what?" Jenny's voice suddenly carried through the quiet morning. Lanie quickly waved her down before whispering excitedly.

"Castle's going to propose!"

The way Jenny's eyes widened, Castle almost thought she would start jumping up and down at any moment. "Oh! Oh my god! Congratulations, Castle!"

"She hasn't actually said yes yet," he tried to remind them, but Jenny waved him off.

"Oh, but she _will_."

"But-"

"Castle, what did I tell you?" Lanie warned, swatting him on the shoulder.

"You've got nothing to worry about, Castle," Jenny reassured him. "We all see the way she looks at you. You just _know_ she's never loved anyone as much as she loves you. There isn't a doubt in my mind that she won't say yes."

"Yes, but look at how she reacted to moving in!" Castle exclaimed, grabbing Lanie's hand before she had another chance to hit him.

"You did kind of spring that on her," Lanie noted.

"Well, it's not like I'm going to be like 'Oh, hey, Kate! Just giving you a heads up that I plan on proposing sometime within the next few days.'" Castle rolled his eyes. "No. It's going to be out of the blue. What if she flips out like last time?"

"Castle, this is a surprise that she _will_ like."

Lanie nodded in agreement. "Just stop worrying."

Castle sighed. He wasn't getting anywhere with these two. "Just… don't tell her. Or anyone else. And don't discuss it, either. I don't want her accidently overhearing anyone talking about it."

"Bet you twenty bucks Ryan notices the ring on her finger before anyone else does," Jenny wagered, holding out a hand for Lanie to shake right in front of Castle.

Lanie raised an eyebrow, gripping Jenny's hand. "You're on."

"Can we please not _bet_ on my _proposal_?"

"Wait- ring!" Jenny exclaimed. "Can we see the ring?"

"Ooh, yes!" Lanie agreed, trying to pry the small box from his fingers, but Castle wasn't having any of it. Clamping his larger fingers around the box, he hastily stuffed it back into his jacket pocket before anyone had a chance to reach for it.

"No. No-one can see it before Kate does."

"Aw, that's sweet," Jenny smiled sweetly, but within seconds it had morphed to devious. "But, I still want to see the ring."

Castle shrugged innocently, balling the jacket up in his lap. "Nope. Sorry."

Amused at his actions, Lanie raised an eyebrow, her voice full of attitude. "Castle, you _know_ I'll get it. So why don't you save yourself the trouble and just show us."

Grip tightening on the jacket in his hands, Castle shook his head, but it didn't discourage the girls. Instead, they suddenly pounced on him, Lanie trying to restrain his arms from flailing around while Jenny attempted to pry his fingers off the jacket. They had just about succeeded when, suddenly, Kate's voice called out to them.

"Uh, Castle? What's going on?"

He opened his mouth to speak, but Lanie and Jenny beat him to it, their simultaneous response of _nothing_ sounding nothing but suspicious. Kate raised an eyebrow sceptically, glancing at her friends before eyeing him carefully once again.

"So, I shouldn't be worried that you have two other women hanging all over you?"

If she weren't just a few steps from seeing the ring he'd taken so long to pick out for her, Castle would have cracked a smile at the amusement in her voice. But right now, there was nothing but panic across his face.

"Nope. Nothing to worry about. Nothing to see."

Kate crossed her arms, a scowl appearing on her forehead. Castle cringed; she was not amused anymore. Just pissed. "Castle, tell me what's going on."

He stood up then, not-so-subtly ripping the jacket now concealing the ring from the girls' hands, and took a large step towards her. "Secret," he shrugged, side-stepping her as he moved to hide the jacket- and the ring- somewhere on the plane.

* * *

_Oh, geez. Wasn't supposed to be this long for an update. So sorry! I got really into writing something else, that I'm not even sure I'll ever post. Going to try and put it on the backburner for a while, because I already have this I should finish._

_Hope you're all still enjoying this =) And thanks for all the wonderful comments. _

_- Kelli _


	5. Chapter 5

**Five**

* * *

"Found some more fruit. Want some?" Castle asked Kate as he sunk down onto the sand beside her, his arms filled with fruit. But she lowered her head, angling her gaze away from him, toward the beach instead. A small frown appeared between his eyebrows, and he dropped the fruit onto his lap and gently rested a hand on her knee. "Kate?"

"You were gone," she whispered.

What?

"When I woke up, you were gone," she explained. "I just… I panicked a little. After everything that happened yesterday, I just-" Kate let out a sigh, lifting her head to finally look at him through watery eyes.

Oh, Kate.

His heartstrings tugged at her fretful expression on her face, and he drew her into his arms, burying his head into her hair. Not only did he leave her to wake alone, he sidestepped her after she rushed out to find him.

"Sorry," she mumbled. "Don't mean to be a downer."

"You know you don't need to worry about me, Kate."

"I always worry about you, Castle. I love you. Don't want anything to happen to you." She pulled away from him slowly to smile sweetly, slipping her fingers in between his. Rising to her feet, she tugged on Castle's hands, still entwined with hers, pulling him awkwardly to his feet as he tried not to let the fruit drop. "Come on. Let's walk."

They set off in the opposite direction they did last night, wanting to explore the island a little further, hoping they might stumble across something that might provide them with a means of escape. Rounding the corner, their feet squeaked against the warm sand, their movements flicking up sand against the back of their legs. Castle's opened his mouth, but Kate sent him a warning look not to complain about the light prickling before he had a chance. Reluctantly, he shut it. After all, what did he expect booking a beach holiday?

They've only walked for a few minutes when he began to feel the beads of sweat forming on his forehead, his clothes clinging to him in the already too-warm morning sunshine. He loosened his grip on Kate's hand, his palm now sweaty, and took a step away from her as they continue to wander, a barely-there breeze floating in-between them. He pressed his lips together, holding back a sigh; as much as he would like to head further inland and walk in the shade, he didn't want to risk missing something- anything- out on the horizon.

Castle didn't even realise Kate stopped until her grip on his hand yanked him backwards. He turned, an eyebrow raised, to see Kate looking inland.

"Look." She stretched her arm, one finger pointed to something she can see. He frowned, confused. "The rock, Castle," she explained. "It's higher than most of the trees. If we can get up there-"

"We'd be able to see the whole island," he finished with a nod. Kate grinned at him, tugging him along after her, heading straight for the centre of the island.

It isn't long before he has to drop her hand, unable to persevere through the thickening jungle without the freedom of both his hands. Their movement is slow as they climb over snaking roots and push away hanging vines, taking care to avoid trampling as much of the vegetation as they can.

Suddenly, Kate stopped, causing him to crash into her back, crowding her. Castle's half-way through muttering an apology when his head snapped up from looking down at his feet and he noticed the reason she stopped.

There's a clearing ahead of them, the density of the trees thinning out and giving way to small ferns lining the edge of a small grotto. A ray of sunlight filtered through a crack in the canopy and shone down onto the water, illuminating the depth underneath the still surface. The water was almost completely surrounded by the rock, but Castle could see an entrance to a small cavern, almost completely hidden, over on the right wall.

He's completely amazed. He doesn't know why this island isn't inhabited- whether it's never been found before, or been declared a sanctuary- but the sight before him took his breath away. An area of the world that had been completely untouched by humans, left alone for whatever animals might inhabit the island.

As much as he would like to stop and pause- take it all in properly- Kate was already on the move, slinking along the edge of the water and around to the side of the rock where she found a foot grip, climbing up the shallow ledges. Castle cringed as he watched her, worried she'd lose her footing and slip- but within a minute she'd made it to the top, grinning down at him victoriously. Letting out a breath of relief, he followed in her footsteps, hoisting himself up until he broke through the canopy.

The air leaves his lungs. He thought the sight of the grotto below them was breathtaking, but it was absolutely nothing compared to this.

Covering almost the entirety of the island was a mass of trees, their green tops thick, creating a blanket that protected the ground. Pure white sand completely surrounded the jungle, lining the edge of the island before sinking down into the ocean. Around the island, the ocean water sparkled in the morning sunlight as the rays danced off the surface. And below the crystal clear water, Castle could see a large reef stretching out around them, the dark shadows visible below the surface.

"It's beautiful," Kate murmured beside him. He nodded silently as she squeezed his shoulder, her body pressing up against his for just a moment before she turned away.

It was beautiful. Absolutely stunning. But now that they were up here, Castle noticed there wasn't anything surrounding them.

No islands. No blurry shapes out on the horizon.

Nothing.

Suddenly, loud splash sounded behind him as something hit the water. He turned, curious, only to realise Kate was no longer beside him.

Oh, god.

She-

Did she slip? Fall over the edge?

He scurried towards the edge, panic racing through him, when his bare feet stood on something soft, contrasting dramatically against the rough surface of the rock.

Only then did he realise her clothes were still up here with him, lying discarded on the rock.

_Oh_.

A careful peek over the edge revealed Kate swimming in the water below, her head bobbing above the surface as she tread water, looking up at him and motioning for him to join her.

Castle grinned, following Kate's lead and hastily discarding his clothes before diving off the edge. His hands broke the surface in front of him, his body crashing into the water, sinking down as the bubbles pushed upward around him. The water was cold on his skin, the small sunlight it was receiving doing nothing to warm it. But he'd barely breached the surface when Kate's legs wrap around him, her body hanging off his, her lips pressing against his bare shoulder.

Castle snaked one arm around her back, holding her body against his, as his other lifted her head so he could claim her lips with his. Slowly, he swum them towards the rock, pushing Kate up against it, and his body up against Kate's, as he feet found purchase on the rising floor beneath them. His lips broke off from hers, trailing across her cheek, down her neck, and he grinned against her skin as a low moan escaped her throat.

He could definitely get used to this island.

* * *

They stumbled back along the beach almost two hours later, leaving their little grotto only when Castle complained about the water being too cold. Kate kept one eye on the ocean as they walked, her eyesight trailing over the shallow reef stretching out around them.

"You know…" Castle started, hesitating when she turned to judge the expression on his face. She raised an eyebrow, encouraging him to continue. "We, uh- we have snorkels, if you want to use them?" he suggested, a half-guilty expression on his face. Kate just shook her head, amused.

Of course he had his own snorkels. Typical.

But instead of picking an argument with him, Kate simply shrugged her shoulders, a small grin on her face. "Sure. May as well."

They rounded the final corner then, the large shape of the plane coming back into view, the figures of everyone- now all awake- scattered around in small groups.

"So?" Lanie asked as she walked up to them. Confused, Kate raised an eyebrow in question. "Did you find anything?"

"Huh?"

"You said you were going to look around, see if you could find a way off this island."

Oh, yeah.

"Uh, right. We, uh-"

Lanie smirked, eyeing them knowingly. "Right. Got it."

"We weren't-" Kate started, but cut off when Lanie tilted her head, sending her a look that screamed _oh, please, we all know exactly what you two were doing_. Kate pressed her lips together, trying to sneak a glance down at herself. She couldn't see any trace of where they'd been and what they'd been doing, and their clothes had been long dry when they re-joined the group, the sun and heat warming them within a matter of minutes. But this was Lanie, and she knew everything.

"We climbed up onto that rock up there," Castle interrupted, his finger outstretched as he pointed to the dark shape rising above the trees. "Had a look around, but couldn't see anything."

"Anyway," Kate continued before Lanie had another chance to sound off, "We were thinking of taking a dip in the ocean. The island is completely surrounded by a reef, and we figured it'd be a good way to cool down in this heat."

Lanie's eyes lit up at the idea, excitement shining with the wonder of a person never having snorkelled on a reef before. Before Kate could open her mouth, Lanie had a grip on her arm, chattering excitedly about swimsuits and snorkels as she dragged her towards the plane. Kate threw Castle an apologetic look over her shoulder, but he simply shook his head with laughter at their friend, knowing her thoughts exactly.

_Lanie_.

* * *

_First of all, I'd like to thank you all again for the wonderful comments you leave =) They're so great to read. There's nothing better than getting to hear your thoughts._

_Second, I was having a look at the breakdown of visitors by country, and I was completely amazed at where you're all from. You have no idea how wonderful it feels to have people reading from all over the world. I'd never even heard of some places before! I'd love for anyone living outside a primarily English speaking country to sound out, because I'm so interested in it. The world absolutely amazes me, and I love that the Internet has this power to bring us all together. _

_- Kelli_


	6. Chapter 6

**Six**

* * *

With a bit of effort, the two girls managed to climb down into the cargo hold of the plane, pulling out their bags from the pile to retrieve swimsuits and Castle's promised snorkelling gear.

Kate saw it the moment she unzipped her bag.

Sitting there, right on top of her carefully folded clothes, was a bikini that was definitely _not_ hers.

Kate scowled as she picked up the deep blue two-piece that Castle had obviously bought for her. She had to admit that, for a bikini, it was at least tasteful, covering a good deal of skin and having thick straps that wound around to tie at her back.

But it would completely reveal her scars.

Aside from Castle, no one else had ever seen them. They were faded now, nowhere near as puckered or as red as they once had been, but it was still something she preferred not to share with the world. And he _knew_ that. They had argued about before, one long weekend last summer they had spent at the Hamptons spent with his family. He had bought her a bikini, saying that it was only him and his family- no one else. He protested that they were nothing to be ashamed of, that they were a part of who she was, showed what she had overcome, but she hadn't budged.

And she couldn't believe he was trying this again.

Kate scrunched the skimpy material in her hands, face red with anger as she geared up for another fight over the same damned thing, when she caught sight of what lay underneath it.

Another swimsuit. Dreading whatever else he had bought, she hesitated for a moment before picking up the other, stretching it out to get a better look at it.

It wasn't what she expected. Instead of being designed to show a lot of skin, this one was a modest, strapless one piece. Once on, the fabric would completely cover her surgery scar, and there was a buckle that would sit between her breasts and hide her bullet wound.

He was giving her the choice.

Oh.

"Kate? Everything all right?" Lanie asked, an eyebrow raised as she watched Kate stare at the garments in her suitcase.

Kate bit her lip, glancing down again at the swimsuits. "I- yeah. Everything's fine."

Without giving herself time to second-guess her choice, she threw the one-piece back into her case and grabbed the bikini.

* * *

If she had of known _this_ would be his reaction, she wouldn't have kicked up such a fuss about wearing a bikini.

Castle's jaw dropped the moment she jumped out of the plane, already dressed in the blue bikini he had bought her, her hair tied up off her shoulders to expose even more skin. He didn't even bother to be subtle, instead openly staring at her, his eyes filled with lust as they raked over her body.

"I- I- uh, I-" he stuttered as she made her way slowly towards him, her head tilted as she peered up at him innocently. Dropping the snorkels by their feet, she trailed her fingers up and down his chest before finally encircling them around him as she pushed up on her toes to press a lingering kiss to his lips.

"Thanks for the present, Castle," she whispered, her breath hot on his lips as she stayed in his personal space. "I love it."

"Hmm…"

"Do you like it?" she asked innocently, batting her eyelids as she trailed her lips down his neck and across his shoulder. She reached a hand up to his face, her fingers snaking around to play with the hair at the back of his neck as she looked up at him, waiting for an answer.

"I- yeah."

Kate grinned before slowly pulling away from him at the sound Lanie clearing her throat, a mutter of _get a room_ under her breath. She picked up their snorkels, eager for the refreshing swim under the hot sun, when Esposito's voice sounded out loudly across the beach.

"Seriously? You're going _snorkelling_?" He shook his head in disbelief as he stormed towards them, an irate expression having taken over his face. "We're stuck on an island, in the middle of God-knows-where, and the only thing you think about taking a dip in the ocean?"

"Well, what else is there to do?" Lanie questioned, her tone all attitude as she glared at her ex.

"We should be coming up with a _plan_ to get off this damned island!" Esposito shouted.

Lanie held up her hands defensively, turning and stalking away from Esposito, muttering something under her breath. Kate took a step towards her friend, confused by his sudden change in behaviour, but her tone remained calm when she spoke.

"Esposito, just relax, okay?"

Esposito raised an eyebrow in disbelief. "Relax? We're stranded. Don't tell me you aren't pissed."

"No, I'm not, actually. Nothing we can do about it."

"You should be. You wouldn't even be here if it wasn't for him. None of us would." Esposito jabbed his finger angrily towards Castle, who simply stood there and took it, not wanting to make this situation- whatever it is- any worse. But Kate could see the hurt flicker in his eyes at the accusation, and she moved to stand in front of him, facing Esposito head on.

"No, Espo. It was a freak accident."

Esposito shook his head angrily, glaring at Kate, but didn't say anything further. Instead, he turned away, storming off along the beach.

"Hey, man- where are you going?" Ryan called out after his partner, moving to follow him when Kate grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Let him go, Ryan," Kate murmured. "You know how he can be. Give him time to calm down; work out whatever's eating at him."

"He shouldn't be going off alone," Ryan spoke worriedly, but caved upon seeing the warning look on Kate's face.

There wasn't anywhere he could go, anyway.

* * *

The day was almost over, the sun beginning to set in magnificent colours across the sky, when Ryan became too panicked to stand still any longer, instead pacing in small circles around the group. "He's _still_ not back," he insisted again, and Jenny patted her husband reassuringly on the shoulder, trying to urge him to stop worrying.

"I'm sure he's fine, Kevin," she spoke quietly, but she couldn't keep the concern out of her own voice.

"Why don't you guys go and look for him?" Castle suggested to the couple. "Surely he's calmed down by now. Might be good for you to find him; let him know we aren't mad."

"Yeah. Yeah, that's a good idea," Ryan nodded, heading down the beach for the plane with a murmur of grabbing jackets and torches, just in case.

Castle spun back around on his feet, leaving the pair to it, when he realised Kate was no longer beside him, instead having silently slipped away to sit on her own a good fifty yards down the beach. Her arms were wrapped around her legs, hugging them to her chest, and her head dropped down onto her knees as she stared out at the ocean.

Castle paused for only a moment, considering whether she wanted some time alone like she often did back in the city, but in the end he was too selfish, stepping quickly towards her, needing to be near her.

"It's almost nightfall," Kate murmured as he dropped down onto the sand beside her. "I thought…" she trailed off, her eyes lowering. "I thought they'd find us by now. Yesterday was storming, and that was fair enough. But today? There's not a cloud in the sky."

Castle sighed as he wrapped a comforting arm around Kate's shoulder, drawing her into him. She was the one who told him everything was going to be all right. She was the one who smiled at him, swam with him, pressed her lips to his every time another wave of fearfulness hit him. She was the one who convinced him there was no reason to panic, because, really- what could they do besides sit and wait for someone to find them?

He was an idiot for not realising it was just a front. Of course no one was actually going to be all right with their plane crashing on some random island in the middle of nowhere; not even her, the most fearless person he knew.

But now, she was afraid, and it was time he stopped moping around and did something.

"Kate, listen to me. They're going to find us. These searches take time. They have a lot of ground to cover, and only so much daylight in which to do it. And we don't know how far the storm carried the plane; we might be nowhere near our flight path. But eventually, they'll find us, okay And they'll take us back home and this will all become a distant memory."

Her long fingers reached up, trailing across the stubble that had started to grow along his jaw, before finally dropping down to rest at the crook of his neck. She smiled wordlessly up at him, her features relaxing, letting him know he'd helped.

But, it wasn't enough. He needed to do something _more_. Something to help get them off this-

His thoughts were interrupted when the deafening sound of an explosion burst through the air. His body was thrown as the force ripped towards them, heat surrounding them, choking them, as he twisted his body, trying to shield Kate from the blast. Only when he was sure they were all right did he pull away, panic setting in for a moment when her body remained still as she lay on the sand. His arm darted out to her, gently shaking her as he called her name loudly, his voice harsh and a sharp ringing in his ears.

Relief washed over him when she turned her head, her eyes finding his as she uncurled her body. But they didn't pause for long, instead scrambling to their feet as they turned to the source of the explosion.

Their plane was gone, instead a massive ball of fire as it burned, the unforgiving flames rising high into the sky.

"Is everyone okay?" Lanie shouted, her eyes wide as they darted around the group, and though everyone nodded absently, Castle panicked with the realisation that Esposito was still out on the island somewhere on his own. But when he snapped his head around in the direction he had taken off earlier that day, Esposito's figure was already sprinting back along the beach towards the scene.

"What happened?" Esposito asked as he took in the sight of the burning plane.

"I- I don't know," Tom stuttered as the group backed up cautiously, putting a distance between themselves and the burning wreckage. "I checked everything again this morning, and aside from the obvious, nothing was out of the ordinary."

"Our wedding rings," Jenny cried, covering her mouth with her hand to muffle a sob as she leaned into her husband for support.

Oh no.

Kate's ring. The simple yet elegant ring he'd searched for so long for. The ring that, the moment he laid eyes on it, he could see Kate's smile as she said _yes_.

It was gone.

* * *

_Hope you're all still enjoying this =) Not sure how much more there'll be. We'll see =)_

_- Kelli_


	7. Chapter 7

_Couldn't decide what I should finish this chapter with, but hopefully you like where it goes._

_And sorry about the mix up with alerts for this chapter. I did upload it yesterday, but for some reason it didn't work. Hoping all goes good this time. _

_ Enjoy. _

* * *

**Seven**

* * *

As devastated as he was, Castle had no time to mourn the loss of Kate's ring, as Lanie began ushering everyone further away form the burning plane, her voice urgent. "We need to get away from the smoke. Now. Come on, let's go, guys. Other side of the island."

"I think the smoke is the least of our problems," Esposito commented, his eyes drifting back to the flames as the group continued along the beach, heading away from the thick, billowing smoke. "What are we supposed to do if the whole island lights up?"

Lanie paused before she responded, her voice grim. "Let's just hope it doesn't get to that."

"Do you think they'll spot the smoke?" Castle asked Kate in a low voice, a flicker of hope dancing in his eyes.

Kate bit her lip with hesitation, taking his hand in a comforting gesture when she shook her head sadly. "It's getting dark too quick. Even if they're still searching, I don't think they'll be able to see if for much longer."

"So then they'll see the fire, right?"

Kate sighed, her eyes dropping from his, instead concentrating on the sand beneath their feet. "Castle…" she started, but trailed off, pausing for a few moments. "I don't know. If they aren't close…"

They wouldn't find them.

Right.

* * *

The sun had long set and plunged them into darkness by the time the group made it further around the island, the smoke now blowing away from them as a gentle breeze rippled through the night. Some of the others that Castle didn't know dropped down onto the beach, still shaken by the sudden explosion that had added an extra sense of urgency to their already grim situation. When he felt Kate's hand slip from his, saw the trepidation on her face that she was unable to mask, he stepped forward into the centre of the circle to capture everyone's attention.

It was time to take charge.

"We need a plan," he announced, his voice loud and surprisingly steady. "With no shelter, we're in for a long night. I say the first thing we do is start a fire for warmth."

"What? So the island can go up in flames quicker?" Esposito questioned.

"If it _were_ going to catch fire, I think it would have done it by now. There's a good chance the flames are just out of reach of the trees, and the breeze is now blowing in the _opposite_ direction, out towards the ocean," Castle noted. "I know it'd be easiest to just go back with a branch and light it up, but the smoke is too thick. No point risking our health just for a bit of warmth. So, we either need to wait for it to die down, or start our own fire."

"And how are we going to do that? We've got no lighter and no matches."

Castle grinned, knowing just what to do. Wasting no time, he delved right into a story about the time he researched for his fifth novel, where he abandoned his character in the middle of the woods. And, ever one for authenticity (rather than procrastination, as Gina called it), he of course went and learnt how to start a fire without the ease of twenty-first century luxuries.

"It takes a bit of time, but it can be done," Castle finished. "We just need to collect the right type of wood."

He just hoped this island had what they'd need.

At that moment, Ryan turned on the flashlight in his hand he'd retrieved from the plane earlier. "Come on, Castle. Show us what we need to get," Ryan spoke, the light shining towards the trees as he waited for Castle's direction.

But Castle's attention no longer held thoughts about firewood and fires and the severity of their situation. "Where'd you get that jacket?" Castle asked, eyes-wide as he scrambled for the jacket Ryan dropped down onto the sand, delicately picking it up and patting the pockets.

"That? It's yours, right?" Ryan raised an eyebrow for confirmation. "I grabbed it just before, when we were going to look for Javi. Didn't want to waste any time searching for mine when yours was right there, so I just grabbed it. Didn't think you'd mind."

Castle grinned, relief washing over him when he felt the small bump of a ring box hidden inside the lining. He threw two arms around Ryan in a fierce hug, clapping the man on the back.

"Castle, it's just a jacket," Kate commented, an eyebrow raised as she eyed him curiously.

"It's, uh- new," he lied.

Kate rolled her eyes. "I think it's safe to say it wouldn't have been the end of the world if it had been destroyed."

"No, uh- right. Yeah. Of course," he stuttered, tugging the jacket over his shoulders. No chance he was going to let it out of his sight again.

He moved to sit down beside Kate, completely distracted, when Ryan spoke up. "Castle?"

"Hmm?"

"Firewood?"

Oh. "Right. Uh, yeah. Let's go."

* * *

Kate let out another groan as Castle failed, yet again, to light a fire.

"After five years, I'd like to think you had a little more faith in me," he commented as he tried again, ignoring the eye roll Kate was surely sending him right now.

"After two hours, I'd like to think you would have lit a fire by now. It's getting cold."

Right on cue, a cool breeze picked up again, chilling the group as they sat on the beach, no longer able to huddle in the shelter of the plane. Kate ran her hands up and down her arms, trying to create warmth from the friction, but from the slight tremble of her fingers he could tell it wasn't working. "Just a few more minutes…" he promised her, though losing faith in himself as time ticked by.

He could do this. He would do this.

He had to do this.

Castle lost himself in thought as he continued to work on the fire, his mind chasing down scenarios of their rescue. A plane circling overhead before coming down to land and rescue them. A ship passing by before dropping an anchor and sending a tender out for them. And then the ever-unlikely scenario that this was all some sort of horrible dream, and he'd wake up at any moment in his bed, just him and Kate. No island.

Suddenly, Castle was drawn from his daydream as sparks flew beneath his hands, the wood catching alight and burning in an instant. "Aha!" he exclaimed, amazed it _finally_ worked. "What did I say?"

Despite Castle's achievement, Esposito frowned, holding on to the negative atmosphere. "Right. One problem down. Now, let's talk food."

"Forget food- we won't last three days without water," Lanie noted. "And all we have is salt water, with no way of desalinating it."

Castle raised an eyebrow. "Well-"

He didn't get any further before Lanie held up her hands, urging him to stop while he was ahead. "Castle, unless whatever ridiculous idea you're about to suggest will provide enough fresh water for twelve people, I really don't want to hear it right now."

"Actually…" he dragged out, "Kate and I found some fresh water this morning. By the rock, in the centre of the island. But there's no way we're getting through that jungle in the dark, so if we can keep this fire going overnight, we can find a way to boil it in the morning."

"You know what, Castle? That's a surprisingly sound idea. I think I have a new appreciation for why Kate's kept you around for so long," Lanie commented.

"Speaking of Kate…" Castle glanced around at the group, scanning the array of faces for his partner but coming up empty. "Where is she?"

"She took off a few minutes ago, while you were absorbed with that fire," Lanie explained. "Something about needing a minute alone. Might want to go find her."

Guilt and concern overwhelmed him at the realisation he didn't even notice she left. Rising to his feet, Castle's eyes raked along the beach until he saw the shadowy silhouette of his partner about fifty yards out. He moved cautiously towards her, making sure his feet squeaked as he stepped across the cool sand. By now, he's learnt it's never smart to converge too quickly and overwhelm her, and startling her does about the same amount of damage. Needs to be just right.

Still a few steps out, Castle froze.

She was sitting with his jacket around her shoulders, the small, white ring box in her hand. Her eyes were unwavering form the small box as her fingers traced its edges delicately, as if she were hesitating to open it. But he could tell from the expression of wonder on her face that she knew exactly what it held.

"I was cold," she explained quietly, sensing his presence but not turning towards him. "After you came back and started lighting the fire, you didn't seem to be using your jacket anymore. I felt the bulge when I pulled it on. I… I didn't think…"

Drawn to her, he dropped down onto the cool sand close beside her. Despite her comment that she was cold, he could feel the heat radiating off. Or perhaps that was just the electricity that still sparked between them, even after five years.

"Castle?" Kate asked, her eyes shining as she looked up at him, a flicker of hope dancing in her eyes. "Is this… I mean, were you going to…"

"Yes," he spoke steadily, gently brushing a tendril of hair off her face, his lips turning upwards in a smile. "I was going to propose while we were away."

Kate blushed, ducking her head as the corner of her lips lifted upwards. "I'm sorry I ruined the surprise," she half-laughed.

Castle shook his head, his hand reaching up to cup her cheek, tilting her face back toward his. "Kate, I don't care about the surprise. I just care about your answer."

Her lips parted with wonder as she stared at him, both of them refusing to break the strong gaze they held.

"I know this isn't exactly ideal," Castle spoke quietly, "But, I don't think I can wait." Carefully, he took the jewellery box from Kate's hands, pinching the sides and opening it to expose the ring it contained.

Kate clapped a hand over her mouth, muffling the small cry that escaped her lips. "Oh, Castle…" she whispered, her eyes wide and shining under the light from the full moon high above them "It's _beautiful_."

Castle smiled at the knowledge that, after searching for so long, he had in fact found the perfect ring. The central round diamond was flanked on either side by two smaller ones. The white gold band broke into two after that, criss-crossing until it re-joined at the back.

"Kate, I'm a writer, and yet I can't find the words to tell you just how much I love you. You have no idea how blessed I feel that I get to wake up next to you every morning, and that you come home to _me_ every night. Every time you smile when I bring you a cup of coffee, or when you pretend to laugh at one of my dumb jokes… Kate, it's the best feeling in the world. I want to spend every day for the rest of our lives trying to show you just how much you mean to me, give you the life you deserve to have. Because, Kate- you're extraordinary."

Her lips curled up in a smile, and Kate swiped at the lone tear trickling down over her blushing cheeks. She sniffled back the emotions he could see dancing in her eyes, threatening to burst from her at any moment. Leaning in even closer, their bodies almost moulding together, his fingers gently trailed down her face, through her hair. Beaming at her with absolute love and devotion, he finally whispered the words he's wanted to say for so long.

"Marry me, Kate."

Time slowed as they sat in their own little bubble, the world around them, the imminent danger, meaning absolutely nothing. Everything but Kate and himself and the ring full of promises he's holding up for her, just waiting for her to take, doesn't matter. In this moment, she's all he could see.

"Yes."

Castle blinked for a moment, in a state of disbelief, before her words catch up to him.

Yes.

She said _yes_.

He's brought her into his arms in a flash, giving her a bone-crushing hug as his lips found hers, hot and desperate. Her fingers dug into his shoulders as she pulled him closer, and he followed, crowing her body with his as he relished in the fact that she's _here_ with _him_ and she said _yes_.

Castle could feel her smiling against his lips, his own following and curling upwards as a chorus of Kate's whispered _yes_ echoed in his mind, filling his heart with the most certain love he'd ever felt.

God, he'll never be able to get enough of her.

Regrettably, Castle broke away, their lips slowly parting as he tilted his head back just an inch. Her breath washed over him in hot waves, enticing him as he leaned his forehead against hers. "I love you," he breathed, voice strong and steady, as his eyes opened to seek out hers.

Eyes wide and shining at him in the dark night, Kate snaked her hand around to the back of his head, fingers playing gently with the hair at the nape of his neck. "I love _you_, Castle."

Castle let out a breathy laugh as his eyes fell from hers to focus on the ring box still in his hand. Carefully peeling Kate's left hand from his neck, he twined his fingers with hers for just a moment, squeezing them affectionately, before sliding the ring onto her finger. As Kate held up her hand, the ring sparkling in the moonlight, scenes of their future they're going to share together flashed through his mind.

Absolutely beaming, Castle brought his lips back to hers then, a gentle kiss this time as he poured into it all the love he had for her.

They were engaged.


	8. Chapter 8

_A/N: So, so, so sorry. Can't believe how long it's been since I've updated this. This fic is gonna be the death of me. Sigh. _

_Anyway, there'll probably only be two more parts to this. Just need to finish this and move on, I think. _

* * *

**Eight**

* * *

Alexis blew out another frustrated puff of air, her arms crossing over her chest and face turning red as she yelled at the man standing in front of her. "No- I don't want to hear that! I don't want to hear that you didn't find them _again_. I don't want to hear that you've had to stop the search _again_. Tell me you've found them. Tell me he's okay."

"Alexis," Martha spoke sternly, her hand resting on the young girl's shoulder in warning. "It's not this man's fault."

But it _was_, Alexis wanted to argue. It _was_ his fault that her father was still missing. This man- _Dave_- was heading up the search party that was looking for the flight her father had been on, making it _his_ fault that her father was still out there somewhere- God only knows where- and possibly fighting for his life.

It had been two days now. Two days with no news. Two days with no idea how her father was doing, whether he was even still ali-

No. He was fine. They'd find him, and he'd be fine. He'd return home to her.

Alexis crumbled, feeling like a lost little girl as her grandmother's arms wrapped comfortingly around her, the tears sliding down her face. She'd never been without her father. Ever. He had always been there for her, through everything.

How was she supposed to do this without him?

"He's my _father, _Gram," Alexis whispered, her voice choking.

"And he's my son," Martha responded. "And we'll get him back."

"But what if-"

"What if, nothing. You know what you're father is like. I'm sure he's out there somewhere having the time of his life."

* * *

Having the best time of his life Richard Castle was.

He was currently lying down on the beach of a tropical island, the moonlight shimmering above him, a beautiful woman- his beautiful _fiancé_- stretched out on top of him.

After his spontaneous proposal, they managed to sneak off a little further down the beach, away from the prying eyes of their friends to, well, _celebrate_ their engagement. Kate had jumped on him instantly, knocking him to the ground before climbing over him. She wasted no time locking their lips together, her mouth hot and feverish as her hips rocked into his.

They didn't move for hours, instead just lying on the beach, listening to the sound of the waves crashing down against the sand. Castle watched as her head on his chest rose and fell with each breath he took, her hand resting on his heart as she felt it beating beneath his skin. Completely content, Castle leaned forward, pressing a kiss to her hair as he breathed her in.

Slowly, she pushed against the hand on his chest and leant back off him, tilting her head so she could reach his lips. Their kiss was slower this time as they enjoyed simply being here with one another. Ever so tenderly, Castle trailed his fingertips up and down the curve of her spine, smiling against her lips when she shivered under his touch.

Castle sighed as they broke apart, Kate putting distance between them as she fell back onto the sand. He immediately reached for her, hands brushing across her as he tried to pull her back into his arms, but she wasn't having any of it.

"As much as I've enjoyed this," she winked at him, laughing at his childish behaviour when he wiggled his eyebrows enthusiastically, "I think it's time we head back. I know this sounds a little… ridiculous, but I feel guilty celebrating with you when the others are all having a miserable time. We should include them; lighten the mood a little."

Castle smiled at her suggestion, his heart warming with the realisation he was engaged to the most amazing woman. Even though this was completely the opposite of what he had planned for celebrating their engagement, it was perfect. Kate's regard for others, trying to make the best of their dire situation, was one of the very reasons he fell in love with her in the first place. And when they finally got off this island, she was going to marry him. How he ever got this lucky he'd never know.

* * *

As they made themselves appropriate once again for company, the ring on her finger shone up at Kate as it caught the moonlight, the sparkles bouncing off the three diamonds. Beckett smiled, amazed at how lucky she considered herself. Even in these circumstances she was lucky, because she was going to marry Castle. He'd chosen her, fell in love with her, promised her a life together.

When she finally looked back up, he was staring intently at her, a smile playing on the corner of his lips and eyes twinkling. "It really is beautiful, Castle," she whispered, her eyes dropping back down as her fingers trailed over the diamonds.

Letting out a quiet sigh, Beckett bit her lip as she kept her gaze fixed firmly on her hand. She loved her ring- there was no doubt about that- but she didn't want anything to happen to it. "Castle, I don't want you to take this the wrong way…" she started, slowly slipping the ring off her finger, "but can you put it back in the box? Just until we get off this island. It's so beautiful, and I don't want to ruin it or lose it."

No sound escaped Castle's lips as he looked down at the ring now sitting in her palm, his expression blank as if he was doubting what she was saying. "That's all it is, Castle," Beckett continued quietly. She lifted her hand up to rest rest against his cheek, her fingers tenderly trailing over his skin. "I love you. I want to marry you. I don't want you to doubt that."

"No, no. I understand," he agreed, but the sharp nod of his head was too quick.

Kate sighed. She could see it in his eyes that he wasn't convinced, even after the past few hours they'd spent together. Inside her chest, her heart sank as she wished she never brought this up.

"Castle…" she started, but trailed off sadly, unsure of what to say to reassure him. So when his eyes dropped from hers again, the joy that had been there just a few moments before now completely extinguished, Kate let her body fall into his. Hands wrapping around his waist to hold him to her, she peered up at him from underneath her thick lashes. "I love you," she whispered, hoping it would be enough.

When Castle finally lifted his gaze, his eyes were dull, so far from the usual boyish glimmer they contained, and _god_ that hurt. "Can you just keep it on for now?" he asked her quietly, his tone almost pleading. "Just for a few hours. I- I like seeing you wearing it."

With a sweet smile and a whispered _I love you_, Kate agreed. Of course she could give him that, and when he dragged her back down to the sand, she didn't mind one bit at all.

* * *

Kate should have known Lanie would notice it the moment they approached the group. Kate couldn't control the bubble of laughter that rose from within, Lanie's eyes almost bugging out of her head as she zoomed in on the sparkling diamond on her left hand.

"Girl, what is that on your finger?" Lanie exclaimed loudly. A silence spread across the group as they all turned in their direction. Kate bit her lip and sneaked a glance at Castle, who was positively beaming at her. He quickly flicked his eyebrows up and back down, giving her permission to share their news.

"What, you've never seen an engagement ring before?" Beckett teased, a grin bursting onto her face as she shared the joyful news.

Always one to be dramatic, Lanie let out a sharp squeal, jumping up from where she sat to pull Kate from Castle's arms and bring her into a tight hug. "Congratulations. You deserve this so much, sweetie," Lanie whispered in her ear. Kate smiled, thanking her friend, before moving on to the sudden swarm that surrounded them.

Kate couldn't help but find Castle's eyes through the group every chance she got, and every time she couldn't help the grin spread across her face as his eyes twinkled back at her. The first moment they were finally finished with the round of congratulations, Kate swiftly slinked her way through the crowd of people back to Castle. Leaning against his side, his arms rose to wrap tightly around her. She shivered under his touch as his fingers trailed gently up and down her arm, and she felt the grin on his face as he brushed a kiss to her forehead.

"So, what date are we thinking for the wedding?" Jenny asked excitedly. Kate leaned her head back away from where it had been resting on Castle's shoulder just enough to raise an eyebrow at Jenny.

"Excuse me?" Kate laughed.

"Oh, definitely summer," Lanie joined Jenny with a nod of her head.

"Summer might be a little hot, though, don't you think?" Jenny questioned.

"Oh, you're right," Lanie noted thoughtfully. "There's always fall. Or next spring, depending on how long they'd like to be engaged."

"A spring wedding would be beautiful," Jenny sighed wistfully. "In the gardens, perhaps?"

Kate narrowed her eyes at the two conspirators. "You guys, we've only been engaged for a few hours. Can't you hold off on the wedding planning at least until tomorrow?"

"Oh, but Kate, there's so much that needs to be done," Jenny spoke seriously, her eyes wide. "You really have no idea. There's the location, and the guest list, and the band, and the flowers, and the cake, and the decorations…"

"Not to mention a theme," Lanie added. "Oh, and your _dress_."

"Oh, for heaven's sake- can't any of you please be serious for _once_?" an unknown female voice shouted, interrupting their conversation. Kate turned, glancing in the direction of the voice, to see the woman who had been arguing on the plane with her brother the first day glaring at them.

"Excuse me?" Kate asked, her tone threatening and posture fierce as she stared down the woman.

The woman rolled her eyes dramatically. "All you guys have done since we've got here is mess around, drink, swim in the ocean, and sneak off together."

Charlotte stood quickly, moving over to place a restraining hand on the woman's shoulder. "Jenna-"

"No! Don't, Charlotte," she snapped, shrugging Charlotte off. "Do none of you realise where we are? We're in the middle of _nowhere_, because our plane _crashed_, and no one's come to find us. Don't you think you should be taking this a little more seriously?"

"Well, I haven't seen you coming up with any plans," Kate argued. "Sulking in a corner isn't going to solve anything, so excuse me for trying to lighten the mood a little. And how _dare_ you make me feel bad about enjoying the fact that I'm engaged."

"Right. Wife number three, isn't it?" Jenna questioned sarcastically. "Wonder how long that's going to last."

"_Enough_," Charlotte snapped. "God- you aren't the only person here, and neither are they. At least they aren't acting like it."

"They _will_ find us, Jenna," her brother stepped forward suddenly, trying to calm the worsening situation.

Kate pressed her lips together in silence. Though she put up an argument, she really wasn't sure whether they _would_ be found.


	9. Chapter 9

**Nine**

* * *

Like so many times since they'd been on the island, Castle found Beckett sitting alone when he woke the next morning. He stood and watched her for a while, studying her as she gazed out over the ocean. Her feet stretched out in front of her, the water washing over her toes as it rose and fell with the tide.

If he didn't know her, he'd say Kate looked peaceful, but he _did_ know her. Castle noticed the slight sag to her shoulders, the curve of her spine as she hunched over just a fraction. Her hair was covering her face, shielding herself from the world. So when her head dropped in a sign of defeat, Castle rushed straight to her.

"Kate?" called Castle softly as he approached her. Beckett didn't look up at the sound of his voice, but she did pat the spot on the sand beside her. Castle took the offer, dropping down and placing a hand on her thigh.

"Talk to me," he pressed lightly. When she avoided answering by letting out nothing other than a sigh, Castle started guessing. "You aren't thinking about what Jenna said last night, are you?"

Kate chuckled, lifting her head to meet his concerned gaze. "No, Castle," she answered with a shake of her head. "I know they'll find us."

"And… her comment about…"

"Being wife number three?" Beckett raised an eyebrow. "I'm not going to lie and say the comment doesn't bother me, but only because she has no place to go around making accusations like that. I know how you feel. I know you're in this for the long haul, and so am I."

"I'm glad," Castle spoke with a smile. "But, you _are_ upset about something. So I could keep guessing- God knows we've got all day- but if there's something bothering you, I'd rather you get it off your chest now."

Beckett averted her gaze back to the vast ocean in front of them as she tugged her lower lip between her teeth. "My birth control was on the plane."

Oh, _damn_.

Castle scrubbed his hands down over his face with frustration. "Of all the things we could have forgot about…" he mumbled.

"We should be fine for now," Beckett spoke, her fingers snaking around his arm.

"No, I know," Castle interrupted her. "Don't get me wrong- you being pregnant would be _great_. This just… isn't the time for it, and it's _definitely_ not the place."

Beckett hummed her agreement, fingers giving his arm a gentle squeeze. "Love you," she whispered, head falling against his shoulder.

Castle pressed a kiss into her hair, arms rising to wrap around her and tug her closer to him. "I know," he replied, tilting her head to meet her lips.

She sighed against his lips, one hand rising to brush along the days-old stubble growing along his jawline. He tried to deepen the kiss, but she broke away suddenly, leaving him seeking out her lips for a moment before he gave in.

"Come on," she spoke regretfully, pulling from his arms and rising to her feet. "I think it's time we stopped hiding out on our own and re-joined the group."

* * *

"So where's this water you were talking about, Castle?" Lanie questioned him the moment they returned to the group.

He nodded. Survival. Right.

"By the rock," he told them, waving his index finger in the general direction. "The only problem is we need some way of boiling it. I can't start a fire in there- there's too much greenery- and we don't have any way of getting the water out _here_."

"We could hollow out something?" Ryan piped up. "Like… a log? Or a coconut?"

Castle shook his head. "No. It's got to be something that will withstand the heat from the flames."

"There's nothing here like that," Lanie sighed. "It's an island, Castle. We're just going to have to risk drinking the water."

"What about the wreckage?" a timid voice spoke up suddenly. Castle turned towards the source of the sound, only to come face to face with an apologetic looking Jenna. He stared deadpanned at her as he waited to hear what she had to say, to see whether she'd be able to make up for her outburst.

"The wreckage- it's all metal," Jenna suggested. "If there's something left, it should be able to do the job.

Castle pressed his lips together and smiled at the change in her attitude. "Yeah…" he considered. "Yeah. That would work."

"Castle, why don't you stay here and start a fire while the rest of us see what we can salvage?" Beckett proposed, an eyebrow rising as she scanned the group for any protest.

"I'll stay too," Ryan offered. "Help Castle find some more wood, build something for the water to sit on, maybe try to start the fire a little quicker than last night."

"Hey!" Castle cried out in defence. "I got it in the end, didn't I?"

"Yeah, well I'm thirsty now," Kate shut him up, smiling amusedly at him as she ran a hand across his shoulders. "I'll be back soon," she whispered, pressing a long kiss to his lips. Castle smiled at her as she left, mostly thankful for the reassurance but not at all minding the view of her walking away.

* * *

Much to Ryan's surprise (he was sure), Castle managed to start up another fire long before the rest of the group returned. Castle stretched out on the sand victoriously, squinting under the bright rays from the sun. He rubbed a hand around the back of his neck, unsticking the shirt from his skin and wiping off the sweat that was quickly forming in the heat. Throat parched, he let out a long breath, hoping the others would return soon with something that could act like a bucket. Without water in this heat, they weren't going to make it another two days.

"So…" Ryan started as he dropped down beside him. "You and Beckett are getting married, huh?"

Castle grinned. "Yep."

"This isn't…" On a sigh, Ryan trailed off hesitantly.

"Isn't what, Ryan?" Castle prodded.

"This isn't just because we're stranded, is it? Because I would hate to return to the city and have you change your mind."

Castle smiled at his friend's concern for Kate before shaking his head in response. "You saw the ring, Ryan. I was planning on proposing all along."

"I know, but the situation has changed."

Castle turned to his friend then, his face serious. "I know you're just looking out for Kate, but you have nothing to worry about, okay? I love her, and I plan on living out the rest of my life with her."

"Good to hear, man." Ryan clapped a hand down onto his shoulder. "And, uh- be forewarned that Esposito will probably give you the _you hurt her, you die_ speech later."

Castle choked out a laugh. Of course.

* * *

Beckett had to supress many rolls of her eyes as she listened to Lanie's incessant chatter. All she could hear was _wedding this_ and_ wedding that_ as her friend hurried close behind her. It wasn't as if she was opposed to all this wedding talk (well, not _really_), but planning out the fine details after being engaged for not even twenty-four hours was a little extreme.

It wasn't even as if she could pick up speed and try to make an escape. Walking through the jungle whilst awkwardly carrying chunks of steel was not ideal for a quick getaway, and so she was stuck listening to her friend making all the plans for her wedding to Castle.

"Lanie, you know I'm probably not going to have a big wedding, right?" Beckett interrupted suddenly, turning to face her friend with a pointed look on her face.

Lanie stared her down. "Girl, with Castle's money, of _course_ you're going to have a big wedding."

Beckett sighed. "It's not about what we can afford, it's about what I want," Beckett responded. "I just want simple. Close friends and family. No doves flying around, no puffy ball gown of a dress, and no horse and carriage."

"At least make it a destination wedding," Lanie insisted.

Beckett raised an eyebrow, a small chuckle on her lips. "After this trip? I don't think we'll be going anywhere for a while."

They finally arrived at the water hole in the middle of the island then. Beckett let out a long breath of relief, thankful for a break from Lanie. As her eyes roamed around at the peaceful sight in front of her, a grin broke out on Beckett's face at the memory of the last time she was hear.

It had definitely been fun, to say the least.

"Alright- how are we going to do this?" Jenny questioned, her eyes drifting from the over-sized makeshift metal bowls they each carried to the water.

"Just scoop it up. Fill it with as much as we can carry," Esposito decided, already moving towards the water.

Beckett followed him, gripping the other side of the tub and dipping it into the water. Slowly, they let the water wash over the sides and fill the container, picking it up out of the buoyant lagoon to see whether it was still light enough to carry. They managed to fill the container almost to the brim before it become too much for the two of them, and so they back away from the edge.

As they moved, the container swung between them, water sloshing out over the sides. Esposito and Beckett slowed their pace, trying to steady the rocking container and carry it carefully, but the damage was done.

The water that had already splashed over the edges had soaked the moss that lined the edges of the grotto. The ground slippering beneath their feet, Beckett slid. Her hands dropped the container as she struggled to keep herself upright, but it was of no use.

She fell, her entire body tumbling backwards as her legs flew out in front of her, and her head diving straight for the edge of the rock beneath her feet.

Lights out.

* * *

Castle could hear the sound of footsteps running toward them, the sound of branches snapping as what sounded like a herd of animals ran through the forest. He turned his head, curious as to why someone was running back so fast, when his heart stopped.

Kate.

She was in Esposito's arms, her body lifeless and sagging against his friend's chest as Esposito carried her onto the beach. Castle could do nothing but watch as Esposito carefully lowered her to the sand, being careful to keep her head off the ground.

His heart stopped.

"What- what happened?" he cried out, his body falling over hers. His hands reached for her head, pulling it into his lap as his palms cupped the sides of her face. Panic seized in his chest when she didn't respond, her head instead lolling uselessly from side to side.

"She slipped," Esposito explained in a low voice. "Smashed her head on a rock. She turned as she fell, cut the side of her forehead."

"Keep her head up off the sand, Castle," Lanie ordered. He felt her presence drop onto the sand beside him, but he couldn't tear his eyes from Kate.

"Kate," he choked, body bowing over her. "Oh, god- _Kate_."

Castle felt a hand on his shoulder then, pulling him back upright. He shrugged it off, leaning back over Kate, needing to be closer.

"Castle, I need to clean the cut," Lanie spoke quietly, her hand tugging him upright once again. This time, he gave in.

Making himself useful, Castle held up a hand against Beckett's forehead to stop the water spilling over her eyes and mouth. Instead, it splashed back onto himself, but he didn't care. He let it soak him, refusing to move as he cradled her head gently in his hands when she didn't wake.

"Put some water on to heat up," Lanie called out quietly to the group, and Castle could faintly hear the sound of scraping metal as it sat upon the makeshift fire.

He couldn't tear his eyes from Kate, though. His fingertips trailed gently through her hair, over her cheeks, and back up again. He didn't even bother to stop the tears that slipped from his eyes, the sobs choking in his chest and wracking through his body.

His fiancé- his beautiful, amazing, incredible fiancé- was lying unconscious in his lap, on an island in the middle of nowhere with absolutely no way to call for help.

"When will she wake up, Lanie?" he rasped, lifting his red eyes to meet Lanie's gaze.

His friend could offer him nothing but a sigh. "I don't know, Castle," she whispered sadly.

Castle nodded in understanding, his eyes lowering as he came to a loss.

They needed proper medical assistance. Now.

* * *

_A/N: So, apparently there's a bit more to this story than I thought. Another two parts to go._


	10. Chapter 10

**Ten**

* * *

In reality, Kate was barely out for a few minutes, but to Castle, it felt like it had been hours. As every second ticked by, his anxiety grew when Kate didn't wake. He refused to move from her side, remaining bent over her as he cradled her head in his lap. Fingers stroking tenderly down the side of her face, he whispered pleas for her to wake.

Just when Castle didn't think he could take it any longer, Kate finally began to stir. She was pulled back into consciousness slowly, her voice barely a mumble as she tried to speak.

"Shh, Kate," he whispered softly, his lips pressing lovingly against her cheek. "Shh."

"Wh- happened?" she mumbled, eyes fluttering open to meet his. When she squinted in the bright sunlight, he leaned his body over hers, blocking out the direct rays from the harsh sun.

"You slipped," he responded quietly. "Hit your head."

She hummed, her eyes slipping shut again as one hand lifted to her forehead.

"Kate, don't fall asleep," Lanie called out suddenly, dropping to her knees by Beckett's side.

"I won't," Beckett sighed peacefully.

"Open your eyes, Kate," Lanie ordered. Beckett groaned, but conceded, opening them a fraction as she turned towards Lanie. Castle couldn't tell whether she was squinting in the bright light or narrowing her eyes in frustration.

"Do you think you can sit up?" Castle asked.

Beckett shrugged but didn't move just yet. "Help me up?"

His hands slipped beneath her back, one hand around her waist and the other between her shoulder blades. Gently, he pulled her upright, shifting until he thought she could sit on her own. But when he went to pull away, her body fell back against his, her head lolling.

"Kate?"

"I'm fine," she sighed, keeping her eyes open as she insisted her point. Castle nodded in understanding. Her head hurt, but she was too stubborn to admit it with everyone gathered around.

"Do you want some water?" he changed the topic suddenly, turning towards where Ryan and Esposito were sitting by the fire. "It should be all right to drink now."

"Yeah," she rasped, hand reaching up to clutch at her throat as if she only just realised how dry with thirst it was. "Actually, that would be really good."

Filling up one of the empty beer bottles they'd found discarded on the beach from the first night, Esposito passed it over to Beckett. She guzzled it down, sighing contently when the water finished sliding down her throat. She was mid-way through reaching to hand the glass bottle back to Esposito when she frowned.

"You all right?" Castle asked, his brow furrowing in concern.

"Shh," she urged him, fingers digging into his arm to prove a point. He stilled as he tried to stop himself from speaking, watching her intently as her head darted around, her eyes high in the sky. "Do you hear that?"

Castle remained silent for another long moment before he shook his head. "Kate, I can't hear anything," he spoke quietly. "Are you sure you're feeling all right? Do you want some more water?"

"No, she's right," Jenny piped up suddenly, her feet squelching across the sand as she turned around on the spot. "I hear it too."

"A motor," Beckett said, and Jenny nodded in agreement.

Suddenly, everyone was on their feet, their ears straining to hear and eyes searching the sky and the water for the source of the sound. After another half a minute, Castle heard it.

The sound of a plane's engine. It was distant, but it could be heard.

No one spoke as they kept their eyes peeled in the air, waiting for the first glimpse of the aircraft. Castle cupped a hand over his eyes, trying to block out some of the sunlight as his eyes searched the sky. Finally, Ryan's shouts broke through the silence, his finger stretched in the opposite direction as he signalled for them to see.

There it was. The blurry white outline of a plane could be seen against the clear blue sky, heading straight in their direction. They all held their breaths as it drew closer until it was finally above them and then-

It kept flying by.

Castle's heart sank. Kate's fingers in his, he gripped her hand tight as they waited in suspense, waiting to see what the plane would do.

He'd just about lost hope when the plane dipped a sharp left, circling back in the direction it came. It didn't stop there. Instead of flying straight back, it kept on its loop around. The plane circled around the island, as if marking the spot- once, twice, three times- before finally heading back in the direction it had come from.

It was a signal. The pilot was letting them know they'd been found.

_They'd been found_.

Castle breathed out a long sigh of relief, a smile of joy spreading across his face as Kate slipped into his arms. He pressed a kiss to his forehead, but she pulled back, eagerly seeking out his lips. He made no complaints, a hand at the nape of her neck holding her close until they broke away with grins on their faces.

The mood had been lifted instantly, everyone beaming as they sunk into the sand in wait of the plane's return. As Castle sat there amongst his friends- stealing kisses whenever he could from Kate- he thought it was the shortest wait yet. The two hours flew by in a haze of hope until a new noise could be heard.

The chopping sound of a helicopter's blades.

They were going home.

* * *

The airport was a circus.

From the moment they stepped onto the tarmac in Miami, Castle caught site of the media being held back a hundred yards or so away, their cameras flashing as they tried to snap the first photograph of the survivors of the downed flight.

Though most of the group was ushered straight into a van that was lying in wait of them, Beckett was taken straight to the ambulance. Per Lanie's orders, the chopper pilot had phoned ahead to request an ambulance for Beckett. After knocking her head twice and slipping unconscious both times, she needed scans immediately.

The paramedics didn't even argue as Castle jumped in alongside Beckett. Their hands were still tightly clasped together, never breaking since the moment she'd awoken on the beach a few hours earlier. However, at _the look_ from Beckett, Castle did have to press his lips together in an effort to remain quiet as the paramedics gave her an initial once-over. Evidently, she could answer their questions herself.

As expected, there was another media storm when they arrived to the hospital, the lights on the roof of the ambulance flashing red and blue. Though the brightness from their cameras caused them to squeeze their eyes shut in the fading daylight, and the reporters' shouts filled their ears as they entered the building through the ambulance bay, no security was needed to hold them back. At least they respected Beckett's need for medical attention.

But the moment they were inside, the doctor was shaking his head, holding up a hand to stop Castle from following Beckett as she went for her scans. "I'm sorry, sir. I know you've been through a lot, but you need to come with me and get checked out."

"No," Castle argued, shaking his head stubbornly. "I'm staying with her."

The doctor sighed. "Mister Castle-"

"No."

"Castle…" Kate's soft voice filled his ears. At a gentle squeeze to his hand, he turned to her. "Please go and get checked out. You know I'll be fine."

Castle pressed his lips together for another long moment, considering how much of a fight he'd have to put up to be permitted to stay with Beckett, when he gave in to the worried look on her face. "You'll find me the moment you have any news?" he asked the doctor.

"It'll be the first thing I do," the man swore.

With one last lingering kiss to Beckett's lips, Castle let her go, watching as she disappeared behind the double swinging doors before letting himself be pulled away for a check up.

* * *

It was well over an hour later before he was finally able to see her again.

The scans and check up took longer than expected. Though he wanted to stand by her side, Castle used the time to call their family- Alexis, his mother, and Kate's father. After reassuring them everything was fine (at least, he hoped), he'd disconnected the line with the promise they would see everyone soon.

When the doctor sought Castle out in the hospital room he'd been set up in, he jumped up immediately, ignoring the slight tug of the drip at the movement. The doctor clicked his tongue in disapproval, forcing Castle back down onto the bed as he spoke straight to the point. "For now, everything appears normal," the doctor said with a smile on his face. "Your fiancé is a very lucky lady. You are _all_ very lucky. It could have been a lot worse."

"Don't I know it," Castle agreed on a long breath.

"Aside from dehydration, you all appear as healthy as could be expected," the doctor continued. "However, we'd like to keep you overnight for observation, just to err on the side of caution."

Castle nodded in agreement. "Can I see Kate?" he asked eagerly.

"Of course."

When Castle entered her room a minute later, Beckett was staring absently out the open window, watching the last traces of the sun disappear for the night. At the sound of his footsteps, she turned, a smile breaking out on her face.

"Hey," she called out softly.

He returned the grin as he pressed a kiss to her forehead. "How do you feel?" he asked her, ever concerned.

"Aside from being a little exhausted, I'm feeling just fine, Castle," she offered him truthfully. "And you?"

He gave a nod as he pulled up the chair beside her bed. "I'm good. Castle smiled warmly at the relief that washed over Kate's face. She stretched out a hand for his then, and he took it, giving hers a squeeze as he clutched her hand in his.

"The doctor said we'd all have to stay overnight for observation," Kate commented lightly.

"Yeah. They're organising private rooms for us together, though." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

She chuckled. "I don't think they're _that_ private, Castle."

"Nothing like the fear of being caught."

She rolled her eyes, but laughed again, louder this time. And _God_ it was good to hear her laugh.

"Did you speak to Alexis yet?" she changed the subject.

"Yeah. She wanted to fly down here, but I said we'd be back in the city in a few days time."

One eyebrow rose in question. "A few days?"

"Didn't think you'd have a problem with driving back," he joked, eliciting another laugh from her.

She shook her head. "No arguments from me."

"They're going to organise a coach for us," Castle explained, more serious now. "Organise accommodation for us along the drive. We'll be home in three nights time."

Kate nodded absently, and Castle knew just what was on her mind. The look on her face- eyebrows slightly knit, cheeks tight, mouth just parting. It was the look on her face whenever she was worried about something. Or someone.

"I called your father, too," he continued, and Kate's eyes lit up immediately.

"How is he?" she asked before digging a tooth into her lower lip in anticipation.

"He's all right. Better now he knows you're safe," he informed her, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "The nurse said if you wanted to call him from this room, just hit zero before you dial."

She smiled gratefully at him. "Thanks. I'll do that."

They were both silent for a long moment after that. After everything she'd been through, Castle was just so relieved Kate was all right. So he watched her intently, unable to tear his eyes away from hers even if he had to. One of her hands clasped in his, Castle traced whirling patterns along her skin with his thumb, soothing both of them with the motion.

Suddenly, she squeezed his hand to break their trance, eyes lighting up as she spoke. "So, about the wedding…" she started, a smile on the corner of her lips and her eyes flicking up to his mischievously. "I was thinking…"

* * *

_**A/N:**__ One more short part to go. Already finished, so won't be a long wait for once._


	11. Chapter 11

**Epilogue**

* * *

_Five days later…_

* * *

"Are you sure about this?" Castle asked her for the millionth time.

Becket nodded, unable to wipe the giddy grin from her face. In another show of her certainty, she laced their fingers together, giving his a gentle squeeze and rubbing her thumb in a tight circle on his skin.

"They're going to kill us," Castle insisted.

A free chuckle escaped her lips as she shrugged. "I don't care."

"Lanie's going to tear you to pieces."

"I don't care."

"Are you sure you don't want to wait? Plan it out a little?"

"Castle, I really don't care," Beckett reiterated, the fingertips of her free hand trailing through the hair at his temple. "I don't care about a big fancy wedding. I don't care about cakes, or flowers, or a poufy white dress. I just want to be married to you. And if recent events have taught me anything, they've reminded me that we never know what's around the corner. I just want to be married to you. Today."

He returned her grin. "Well, if you're sure…"

She flicked an eyebrow up at him. "Are _you_ sure about this? Because if you want to wait a little…"

"Oh, trust me. I'm perfectly happy with this."

Beckett squeezed his hand then in adoration and contentment, leaning in to brush her lips gently to his. She felt his hand snake around to the small of her back, and she _knew_ they were in a public place with their families and shouldn't get carried away, but this day was special. It was the one day they could get away with being completely in love.

So she deepened the kiss, one hand tugging at the back of his neck as she angled her head. She felt him smile against his lips, and despite her attempts, she couldn't stop the smile from spreading over her own face. They broke away, both chuckling quietly as they rested their foreheads against one another.

Suddenly, the sound of her name being called burst their little bubble.

"Katie," her father called out for her. She turned in Castle's arms to find the faces of Alexis, Martha, and her father smiling at them. "It's time."

Turning back to Castle, Beckett beamed at him. Her fingers slid from around his neck to straighten his tie, his own smoothing out the non-existent creases in her white cocktail dress. "Time to get married, Castle," she breathed in amazement, pressing one last kiss to his lips. "I'm ready to be your wife."

* * *

_**A/N:**__ One final thank you to all of you who are still reading this despite my completely slack updating. Hope it's been worth it._

_- Kelli_


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